Promise to treasure your time. Don’t fall in love with potential. Remember that just because you want it, doesn’t mean it deserves to have you. Be patient, but don’t procrastinate. Be hopeful, but not naive. When it’s right, you’ll know. You don’t have to force it.
-Unknown
The last few weeks have been a little insane. Trying to navigate some new situations, without losing myself. Trying not to let the stress of the situation engulf me. Know that balance is even more important than anything. And that my goals are to make space in my day and my mind for whats important to me.
So this post is a reminder for me and an inspiration for anyone else who may be dealing with challenge. Don’t let negativity take over, spend time on enhance your whole experience. Trust your gut…ALWAYS.
Focus on you, and you grow. Focus on sh!t, and sh!t grows – read that again // anonymous
I’ve always known that good routines, habits and the ability to re-focus are important to me.
And I also know I’m a visual person so consistently practicing and seeing my goals in front me does wonders (it’s all about tricking the mind to believe what the heart and soul want are real).
aka #manifest
With all that said, recently stumbled upon the hashtag #thatgirl
If you haven’t heard or seen it, this hashtag has been trending on instagram, youtube & tiktok by that girl as a way to manifest wellness.
The best way to describe it is as a highlight real (like everything else online lol) – but these highlight reels combine artfully crafted wellness video snippets focused on habits that show the person eating healthy, partaking in fitness activities and making progress towards their goals (ie: school, work etc).
There is a lot of talk about how #thatgirl perpetuates a toxic unattainable lifestyle. But I don’t if I see it entirely like that..
Being a visual person and someone who can peel themselves away from the internet – I actually find this trend both aesthetically pleasing and inspiring. I also know that sometimes the day can get away from you and life is full of peaks and valleys.
So how do you focus on your own development while navigating everyday life? Hint the #ThatGirl trend hits it right on the head!
Re-aligning to your goals at certain times during the year (months or quarters) helps to keep you connected to your yearly goals. OR (like in my situation) help your get back on track. Systems are activities that focus on the journey as opposed to the end destination.
Systems ensure you find joy in the little things.
Systems ensure that those daily habits become the little steps that will turn into a giant leap.
Systems keep us inspired.
Systems help us stay disciplined, especially on the days, we don’t want to do anything.
Systems can inspire us mentally/spiritually/physically.
Last week I celebrated my 39th birthday! I took the day for myself and did all the important things that matter to me to me most. Outside of regular adulting/mom duties – here is how I spent the day…
I woke up, meditated & journaled.
Ran 15.6km (exactly 39 laps around a highschool race track*)
Went grocery shopping and donated it all to the food bank.
Picked up my birthday freebies at Sephora and Starbucks
Came home read a little then watch SATC
After school, the fambam sang happy birthday and the girls ate cupcakes
I’m a little rusty in coding/developing. It’s been 4 years since I last SQL’ed.
With all that said, I am building my skills. I am completing courses. I am learning and I am getting better with every action I take.
Just like I do every time I pick up my camera or lace up my asics.
x = ‘artist’ y = ‘athletes’ print (x + ” are not like ” + y + “. ” + x + ” cannot win gold. “)
txt = x + ” cannot ‘beat’ other creatives. “ print(txt)
txt2 = “an ” + x + “‘s craft is subjective.” print(txt2)
txt3 = x + “s create to connect to the people who need their energy. “ print(txt3)
txt4 = “Create in your way.” txt5 = “, show up, and focus on your unique brand of magic.”
print(txt4) print(“we are all ” + x + txt5)
Artists are not like athletes. Artists cannot win gold. Artists cannot ‘beat’ other creatives. An artist’s craft is subjective. Artists create to connect to the people who need your energy. Create in your way. We are all artists, show up, and focus on your unique brand of magic.
I’m here to interrupt your double vaxxed/tired mom summer with the news that – there are 115 days left until 2022.
Yep, One Hundred Fifteen Days.
I was definitely feeling like I was hitting a wall in terms of my goals. That’s not to say I haven’t had a winning few months I just feel like I was losing focus and slowing down. And I don’t want to do that.
So I started vision boarding for the last quarter of the year, and I mean WHY NOT?
These are my goals and I need to find my motivation. Sometimes adding pen to paper (or picture to board) can help revitalize and re-engerize me. But I also have to remind myself that creating a vision board is just the first step. I then have to come up with actionable steps by month/week to get those goals accomplished. I’m going with the OKRs (being specific and having multiple key results can really drive it home for me).
My point to this whole post is that you DON’T need to wait till MONDAY or the START of the MONTH or the the NEW YEAR. (Although if that is your thing, September is a great month to get back to it!)
Another thing we (well me and you, the collective we) need to get better at is sharing our goals. I’m a little torn on sharing progress (sometimes it makes more sense to keep your head down/disappear while you get sh!t done). But something has to be said about putting your big dreams out into the universe (sounds woo woo because it is, IYKYK)!
So here it is, my Q4 vision board ++ some tips about getting back on track with your goals!
Goal Setting: It’s important to know what you want to accomplish
Plan your year, months, weeks and days. Goals without a plan is a wish!
Get enough: sleep, exercise, meditate, drink more water, eat what your body needs journal and find time to relax
Be grateful: Always looking at future goals can cause fear, anxiety and stress. Practicing gratitude can balance that
Be disciplined: resist the urge to snack, check social media or skip a workout. Focus on your activity at hand – that’s how progress is made
Get to the other side of consistency: whether you see great results or no results – everything is in the hard work
Invest in yourself: Read books, seek mentors and growth opportunities. You don’t have to figure it out on your own. Find someone who has what you are trying to achieve and learn from them
Keep coming back to these principals when you feel stuck or even every day to make sure you stay on track.
I know I’m not the first but to anyone who can challenge the norms, unlearn what hinders them and try something new (like wearing a sari with pants) knows that being the most unique version of yourself is above everything!
I’ve learned that getting out of your comfort zone and finding ways to improve yourself iskey. Here are some ways to do that everyday:
Practice Gratitude Everyday
Digital Detox 2 hrs Before Bed (if you can’t do it every day, start with Mondays)
Personally Greet Everyone You Meet (by name, appropriate pronouns and with respect)
Talk Positively to Yourself
Do Something for Someone Else Once a Day (without expecting anything in return)
